


Guys' Night In

by tortiecat (orphan_account)



Series: Old Friends, New Friends [4]
Category: due South
Genre: Friendship, Gen, New Friends, Old Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-01
Updated: 2013-08-01
Packaged: 2017-12-22 02:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/907917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/tortiecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to "Dinner at Home." While at Ray Kowalski's apartment with Fraser, Ray Vecchio is surprised to<br/>learn that someone has been thinking about him, and receives encouragement from both his old friend and his new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guys' Night In

“I saw Stella at the 27th today. She asked about you. I didn’t know you’d met her.”

Ray Kowalski’s tone was casual, but Fraser still paused in his slicing of tomatoes when his ears caught the word “Stella.”

  _Oh, Ray, please be nice. You too, Ray_ , he thought as he began to move the knife again. Even though Ray had ordered Italian beef and meatball submarine sandwiches from D’Angelo’s, Fraser had brought leafy greens, tomatoes and other vegetables to make salad to accompany the hoagie sandwiches, knowing that both Rays needed vitamins. Ray Kowalski rarely ate vegetables – in the year that he’d known him, Fraser had not seen fresh produce in Ray’s refrigerator, just some past-their-prime apples and browning iceberg lettuce. And Ray Vecchio needed enough vegetables for physical therapy.

Fraser dropped his eyes to the kitchen counter as he sadly remembered how Ray Vecchio, still not entirely comfortable around the man he’d referred to as his “replacement,” had reconsidered coming to Ray Kowalski’s apartment for dinner and an evening of baseball and movie watching.

“Benny, I think Patel will be mad that I went somewhere other than to see him and go to therapy. I’ve only been out of the hospital a few weeks,” had been Ray’s first excuse.

Fraser knew Ray was covering up his real reason for not wanting to go to Ray Kowalski’s. But he tried to give a logical explanation.

“Ray, when he talked to you and Ma about your progress, I was there, too. You wanted us to hear what Dr. Patel had to say, because you said you want to do more things for yourself instead of us doing them for you. I understand that. And he did say that you are gaining more stamina and strength. That’s very good. He also said it was a good idea for you to start leaving your home for some socialization, as long as it’s nothing too strenuous and you rest after a few hours. And you’ll be able to rest all you wish at Ray’s.”

“Yeah – if he doesn’t keep talking, waving his arms around and bouncing on the couch. Can’t he ever be quiet and sit still?! He’s worse than Danny sometimes. At least Danny learned to sit still in preschool”

“I assure you that Ray will keep quiet while we’re watching the movie. I’ve seen him sit for more than two hours when a movie that interests him is being broadcast, and not say one word. He also stays completely immobile, and won’t get up unless he hits pause on the video player. And perhaps the Cubs will play well enough that Ray won’t yell at the television.”

Ray had snorted. “Don’t count on it, Benny. They’re in a real slump right now,” he’d said. Then he'd looked away from Fraser and sounded apologetic. “Look, uh, I appreciate Kowalski asking me to come, but maybe he’d rather just have you. You were real happy after the stakeout.”

“Yes – because we were able to catch the suspect before he ran and take him to the station to question him. Well, Ray was the actually the one questioning him. I observed behind the glass, and assisted with theories about the case from the information we received from the suspect.”

“In other words, you did real police work again, instead of babysitting me.”

Fraser had detected Ray’s sadness, and tried to soften the blow. “I’ve mentioned before, Ray, that I don’t think of spending time with you as ‘babysitting.’ I think of it as spending time with a dear friend, after I did not see him for a year. I did miss you, Ray.”

He’d continued, assuming Ray’s true reason for not wanting to go to Ray Kowalski’s.

“Ray Kowalski is a good friend, and I generally enjoy any time I spend with him, but if I went to his apartment without you, I would miss you. And Ray would miss you as well. He told me he’s very much looking forward to you being there. He will buy plenty of sandwiches and desserts from Mr. D’Angelo for our meal.”

“Sounds good, but - you’d have more fun without me, Benny. I may get too tired to stay up real late.”

“We are not asking you to not sleep, Ray. We both understand that you’re still recovering, and if sleeping in Ray’s bed makes you uncomfortable, we’ll go home. And yes, Ray and I could enjoy ourselves without you, but we both want you with us.”

Fraser didn’t know if Ray had pushed aside his insecurity about Ray Kowalski after he’d heard these words. He didn’t think about it again until the Tuesday before the weekend, when Fraser mentioned at dinner that he and Ray would be away on Saturday evening. Sophia’s eyes grew excited when she heard that.

“Mommy, if Uncle Ray won’t be here, can I invite Jenny and Sarah to spend the night?” she’d asked Maria.

When he’d started living at Ray’s home, Fraser had learned that it was a tradition for the Moretti children to celebrate the end of the school year by having their friends stay overnight. However, Maria and Tony had said no to both Sophia and Michael, telling them that their uncle needed quiet while he was sleeping in the downstairs bedroom, and no children making noise in the nearby living room.

Fraser and Maria both started to reply to Sophia, but then Fraser heard Ray’s cheerful voice. “Of course you can, sweetheart, if your mom and dad say it’s okay. I’ll stay at Kowal…your other Uncle Ray’s place overnight. We’ll probably be up late watching movies anyway.” Then Ray looked to his right and caught the worried eyes of his mother. “Ma, don’t worry. I won’t stay up all night. I’ll get some sleep. And Benny will be there too, and you know he’ll look after me. Won’t you, Benny?” He turned to Fraser, and pleaded with his eyes. _Benny, say yes. Sophie deserves to have some fun, and I can put up with Kowalski_.

Fraser had smiled at Ray, realizing how much he loved his friend thinking of his family. “Of course, Ray. We’ll be fine,” he assured him. His reward was seeing Ray’s happy face as Sophia threw herself onto her uncle’s lap and hugged him and kissed his cheek.

Maria and Ma had both objected several times, but Fraser and Ray had remained firm in their decision. When they left for Ray Kowalski’s earlier this evening, Sophia wasn’t the only one welcoming her friends to a sleepover. Michael also had a friend staying overnight at the Vecchio home.

And Ray seemed cheerful as they arrived at Ray’s apartment, although Fraser had practically had to carry him up the two flights of stairs. He kept a firm arm around Ray’s waist while balancing their overnight bags in his free hand. Fraser knew Ray was fearful of falling when he’d placed both arms around him and pressed against him, and Fraser felt him trembling.

But he was still Ray. “I’m not making a pass, Benny. You’re good looking, but not exactly my type,” he’d teased.

Now Fraser looked over at his two friends in the living area — one in his usual sprawled position on the couch, a bottle of beer in front of him on the table, and his other Ray sitting upright on the recliner with a half-empty bottle of lemonade, since he couldn’t mix his medication with alcohol. Fraser waited anxiously for the conversation to continue, even though he knew he shouldn’t be listening in. _I need to know what they’re saying in case I need to intervene, and calm them_ , he reasoned, knowing that Ray had been upset in the past with any man who showed his ex-wife interest.

Fraser didn’t completely understand why Ray had wanted to reconcile with his ex-wife. In the few times that he’d encountered Assistant District Attorney Stella Kowalski, he’d found the woman irritating, and disliked her for how rudely she treated the man who had been her husband. He had hoped that Ray would eventually forget about dating Ms. Kowalski once again, and show interest in another woman. In good fortune, Ray had met Maggie, and liked her very much, and she’d liked him in return. They’d become a couple, albeit long distance, and Fraser was enlightened to know that his friend and his sister were both very happy.

But now Fraser wanted happiness for his other Ray, which he didn’t think Ms. Kowalski was capable of providing. _And why do I think of Ray as “my Ray?”_ Fraser thought, then immediately answered his own question. _He’s my brother, and I am protective of him as he has been to me_.

He waited for Ray to respond to Ray’s comment about Ms. Kowalski. _When did they meet? Was it after Ray and I left for Canada?_

To Fraser’s dismay, Ray Vecchio’s shoulders tensed, and his voice was defensive. “So what? We met at the 27th, after I checked out of the hospital. I wanted some company. You weren’t around – you were off with Benny in Canada, and it was clear you didn’t need me.” Ray folded his arms around himself, and Fraser imagined him scowling, as he’d done so often before. It saddened him that Ray’s “you” meant both he and Ray Kowalski.

Ray’s voice continued to be casual. “Well, you’re right. Frase and I didn’t _need_ you with us, because you’d been shot. You’d have probably slowed us down. But….” he went on, softer, “that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t have _wanted_ you with us, if you hadn’t been shot. I mean, we worked well together at the amusement park, right?”

Ray sighed. “I guess so.”

“Yes, we did,” Ray affirmed. “And I probably could have used some help with Fraser. Maybe you’d been able to talk him out of us jumping out of a plane, or going up a mountain. He’s bragged about you doing pretty well in the wilderness when you guys were lost, so he’d probably have listened to you.”

“He doesn’t always. He didn’t when we were lost, because he wanted to catch a criminal,” Ray said. “But I did okay,” he added.

_You did more than that. You saved my life, Ray_ , Fraser thought. I _can’t remember everything that happened after the plane crash, or what I said, but I knew you wouldn’t leave me, and you didn’t. You found us a way back to civilization_.

“Well, Frase seems to respect you an awful lot, so if you’d said no to the mountain, I wouldn’t have nearly frozen,” Ray was saying. “But I’m glad you weren’t there after being shot. If you’d started coughing up blood while we were in the middle of nowhere….I don’t want to think about that.”

Fraser smiled at Ray’s worried tone. He knew his friend was trying so hard to be kind to Ray, and loved his compassion

“So don’t think we didn’t want you,” Ray said. “And if you wanted company with Stella and she wanted you – well, it’s not really my business, even if she’s my ex. We’re divorced. I have to accept her seeing other men.”

“I just had a drink with her in Welsh’s office, and we weren’t alone. Frannie and Welsh were there,” Ray said, still sounding defensive. “Then we had one lunch. She was busy and said she couldn’t see me until the next weekend. So I was going to call her, I swear, but then I went to the hospital. So I couldn’t call her. I haven’t talked to her since.” Ray paused and sighed deeply. “It’s been more than two months. She’s probably not interested anymore.”

Fraser no longer heard defensiveness in Ray’s voice, but sadness, and his heart ached for his friend. _He really seems to have liked her, so maybe she was kind to him_ , he thought, then added, _Ray, please be nice_ , meaning mostly Ray Kowalski this time.

His wish was granted when he heard Ray’s soft tone. “No, she’s interested if she asked about you today,” he said. “And she said she’d tried to visit you at the hospital, too.”

Fraser almost heard Ray Vecchio’s lowered head snap up in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. But you were in the ICU, and only family members were allowed. She went as far as the waiting room, but then one of your sisters stopped her. Stel said she was pretty rude and said to leave you alone, because you needed your family and not some…umm… _zoccola_.” He paused, and Fraser could see his brow wrinkle. “What’s that mean, anyway?”

“Oh, God – you don’t want to know. But it’s an insult,” Ray said. “Did she say if it was Maria or Frannie who said it?”

“No.”

“It was probably Maria. Her temper’s like mine sometimes.” Ray Vecchio sighed again and studied the cushions of the overstuffed recliner. “Stella’ll probably never wanna see me again after facing her.”

“Then why did she ask about you today?” Fraser knew Ray was trying to keep his exasperation in check. “Look, if someone comes to visit someone else in the hospital, then that someone cares about the other someone.” He turned toward the kitchen. “Isn’t that right, Frase?” he called.

Fraser realized he’d stopped assembling the salad. “What, Ray?” he casually called back, not wanting either one of his friends to know he’d been eavesdropping.

Ray Kowalski waved him toward the living area. “Fraser, stop what you’re doing and help me with Vecchio here. He’s getting too depressed, and we’re supposed to have fun tonight.”

Fraser stowed the unfinished salad in the refrigerator and joined Ray Kowalski on the couch, carefully looking over Ray Vecchio, who sat glumly on the edge of the recliner.

Ray Kowalski started again. “Stella told me she tried to visit Ray in the hospital, even though they’d just met and only had one date. And she asked about him today at the 27th, when she saw me there. That means she must be interested in him, right?”

“It would appear so, Ray. She also sent flowers to the hospital.”

Ray Vecchio looked up again, clearly surprised. “I didn’t know that, Benny,” he said, sounding a little hopeful.

Fraser had been surprised himself to see the bouquet and Ms. Kowalski’s name on the card. Ma had asked Fraser to write down the names of all of those who sent Ray get-well flowers, cards and gifts, so she could send written acknowledgements. She’d also put all of the cards in a large envelope for Ray to read later. Fraser wondered why she hadn’t given them to her son.

His thoughts were interrupted when Ray Kowalski elbowed him. “Earth to Fraser! I said, ‘What kind of flowers did she send, Frase?’ If you remember that…”

“Of course. They were white daisies with red tulips.”

Ray’s face lit up, and he punched Ray Vecchio playfully in the shoulder – enough for Ray to flinch and eye him cautiously.

“You see! She definitely cares!” Ray raised his voice in excitement before returning it to a normal tone. “White daisies and red tulips are her favorites, and she wouldn’t send them to just anyone. I mean, when we were married, she often had to send bouquets to colleagues, but she usually chose roses or carnations – you know, what everyone else sends. If she sent her favorite flowers, it was to someone she really liked, like her grandmother.”

“So she’s thinking of me as her grandmother?”

Ray Kowalski smiled without smirking.

“No, she thinks of you as someone special. I bet she’d be thrilled if you call her.”

Fraser couldn’t believe Ray was encouraging another man to call his ex-wife, and wondered where the jealous Ray had gone.

“It won’t bother you?” Ray Vecchio asked, echoing Fraser’s thought.

“Don’t think so. I’ve got Mags now, and I’m happy – so why wouldn’t I wish for Stel to be with someone who makes her happy?” He jiggled his leg nervously. “Look, um…I don’t know how much Frase told you about how I acted around Stella when I was first you, but I was real jealous toward any guy who wanted to go out with her. I was a big baby around her. It just hurt a lot to see her moving on without me. But I got over that, and now I want Stel and me to be friends. I don’t hate her – I never did – and I want her to be with a good guy. And you’re one of them.”

Ray met Ray’s sincere gaze and smiled for the first time. “Um…thanks,” he stammered.

“So call her, all right?”

_If Ray will be happy with her, I should encourage that, particularly since she seems to have been kind to him_ , Fraser thought, then spoke up. “I agree, Ray. I know it’s been some time, but if Ms. Kowal…Stella asked about you today, then you could call her and thank her for that, and for the flowers. And maybe she’ll visit you,” he managed to say.

Ray’s face fell quickly and he shook his head. “Benny, I still can’t drive. She’ll have to come to my house to see me. And she won’t come after she’s been insulted by my sister.”

“She probably doesn’t know what the word means, Ray,” Fraser assured him. “And you can ask her to come when most of your family isn’t home, and just explain that Maria and the others were very worried about you when you were so ill, which is why they didn’t want someone who was a stranger to them visiting you.”

“It’s not that simple, Benny….”

“Then don’t make everything so complicated – geesh!” Ray sounded exasperated again. “Look, Ray, just ask her to visit, and apologize for your sister. If she likes you, she won’t hold a grudge against your family.” He ran his hand through the spikes in his hair as he thought aloud. “Stel actually forgives pretty easily, and she’s pretty polite when she first meets people. So if she comes when it’s just your Ma there, and you introduce her and say that she was kind to you, your Ma will probably like her. Stella gets along well with moms. She and my mom are still friends, even though we’re divorced. You get your Ma liking Stel, and the rest of the family will have to give her a chance.”

Fraser gave Ray Kowalski a proud smile for being nice to Ray Vecchio, and Ray Vecchio an encouraging smile. He moved closer to the recliner so he could touch Ray’s shoulder gently. “You have nothing to lose by calling Stella and inviting her to come, Ray,” he said.

Ray sighed. “I still can’t believe you guys don’t have a problem with this. I mean, it’s kinda weird when you want to go out with the ex-wife of the person who pretended to be you and replaced you as your best friend’s friend…”

“Ray,” Fraser interrupted, making his tone firm but gentle. “You were never replaced. We’ve discussed this.”

“Yeah, Ray. I couldn’t possibly replace you to Frase here or your family. Or to a lot of other people,” Ray put in. He paused. “And Stella doesn’t see you as me, so just call her. Maybe it’s weird, but who cares?”

Ray smiled – a true happy smile. “Okay, I’ll call her tomorrow.”

“Good deal!” Ray grinned and clapped Ray on the shoulder. “And if you two hit it off, maybe we can all go out together when Maggie’s here.” He looked over at Fraser. “Don’t worry – I think Stella will be good around your sister. She probably won’t snip at me, or at Mags being with me, if she’s happy with you, Vecchio, and if she knows I’m happy she’s got a good boyfriend.” “

I never said anything about Stella not being good, Ray…” Fraser started as Ray Vecchio interjected, “Whoa, whoa, Kowalski! I wanna take things slow with Stella, and I may not become her boyfriend at all. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a serious relationship. Armando liked to ….” His voice trailed off and he looked away.

“Ray, you don’t have to talk about it with us,” Fraser said quietly. He knew his friend was not only still recovering physically from his wound, but also had emotional scars from what he had to do to stay undercover. He hoped that Dr. Patel, Ray’s primary physician, had recommended counseling.

Ray raised his head, misty-eyed. But he managed a wan smile. “Okay, Benny. Thanks,” he said. He turned to Ray. “And thanks. Maybe we can go to Nemo’s for pizza. I want Benny and me to go there before he goes back to Canada, and you should try it too. Then we can take Maggie and Stella.”

“And maybe go bowling, too. I think Maggie would like it, and Stella’s a hell of a bowler, much better than me…oh, sorry, I guess you can’t do that right now. We’ll go later, when your doc clears you. You bowl?”

“Sure, but I’m not that great. Stella is?”

“Yeah. We went all the time when we were in college. The student center had a bowling alley, and it was a cheap date…”

Fraser felt his heart would burst with happiness as he listened to his two friends having a pleasant conversation as friends themselves, and especially Ray Kowalski encouraging Ray Vecchio. It seemed like the perfect time to tell them his change in plans. When there was a lull in their conversation, he spoke up.

“Ray, Ray, before we have dinner, there’s something I must tell you. It’s good news…”


End file.
